So some of you may know i've been having a LEFT SAM issue for a long time now. I keep having intermittent system failures that are all routed through the L SAM.

One of the issues that has gotten worse is the low beam HIDs flickering and dimming or going completely out for seconds or minutes. Since both are doing it now I was thinking the ballasts because each low beam goes through separate SAMs. But then i noticed the interior switch lights on the dash were blinking with the headlights

Tonight it got bad and the high beams started going out too, which and never happened before. I made it home safely, fortunately i was only 5 miles away. But i got out and noticed that the tail lights were flickering when the headlights did as well.

Tails are controlled by the rear SAM.

Besides that, this evening's other symptoms were the red "do not drive entrance position", cruise control fail, the wipers wiped once at random even though in the off position and no rain, red "battery discharge light" flashed on briefly, SRS light, (dash)brake light, and "display defective see workshop". I think that about covers it. (Stuff in quotations may be paraphrased)

Anyway I'm here for some discussion and insight. I realize I'm probably going to have to get the funds for a STAR DAS and don't mind any help on where to purchase a setup for reasonable cost. But comments other comments on the problem are welcomed.

Due to some of the new info above, I'm starting to wonder if it IS the SAM or if theres more to it than JUST the SAM, or what?

 

Personally, I would start with the battery. The batteries in these cars can cause all kind of weird things when they aren't charging properly.

 

Agreed you seem to have a low voltage problem , are you checking the voltage using the dash display ?

These cars need a super strong battery , an old battery will cause these issues even if it tests good and can still stsrt the car . I would check the date code on the battery and get a new one if it's more then 2-3 years old

The other possibilities are water Damage. Have you checked the black plastic redervoir under the passenger side windshield?



If there is any water in there your drain is clogged and your elevtronics are damaged , if you have comprehensive auto insurance they should cover water damage

 

@ibeforreal: Thanks for the reply, and it looks like tusabes agrees with you.

@tusabes:

yea i've made sure the revs since is clear always since i bought the car last year and looked at it while it still belonged to the other owner. No reason to suspect it ever overflowed. But maybe its worth pulling up passenger floor carpet to see if it EVER had? I believe thats where you look right?

As far as the battery, are you saying that there really is no test? you just pretty much buy a battery every 2 or 3 years? If it needs a battery I have a tendency with any car to buy the biggest deep cycle battery I can fit in the dimensions of its holder. Is this ok with these w220s or is there something special I need to know?

I have a feeling you may be right now that i'm thinking about it, because on startup i would sporadically get the BAS etc, warnings and then they would go away after driving about a 1/4 mile. I assumed at the time it was just related to the SAM issue since they route through it but I know those are also signs of a battery issue.

I"m going to do a search on how to do that battery check on the dash.

Ill report back, and I welcome any and all comments from anyone. This may be a process…


Thanks guys!

 

I would start by using a starter (automotive) battery instead of a marine (deep cycle) battery. It is too long to go into why a deep cycle battery is not meant for cars

 

I could've sworn there was a way to check voltage from the instrument cluster but i couldn't find the info.

Push and hold the REST button and scrolling to 24 gave me a value that flickered between 11.7 and 11.8v

Popping the trunk and using my multimeter showed a voltage of 12.16

Then starting the car for the first time since last night the voltage showed 14.03 +/-1

As far as the date…weird. Nothing on it to indicate a date, it had the word "REFURB" burned into the plastic like you might with a soldering iron. I did find a sticker that said MFD 2011 most likely indicating its manufacture date.

It also doesn't look like a maintenance free battery. It had what looked like a philips head screw in filler cap and a built in vinyl carry handle? are those features normal? i can post pics if wanted...

 

i don't even have specs printed on mine. what specs would i need when looking at a new battery? CCA min etc. I want to do some preliminary pricing

 

A refurb battery from 2011 is toast.

Either get a Bosch agm battery from pep boys (they have a 30% coupon on their website thirtyall) or a genuine mb battery . The batteries arent cheap- it will be high $100s for the Bosch with coupon or $250+ for mb

No you don't have to replace the battery every 2-3 years , in fact the genuine mb battery is known to last 8-10 years!! but if you start getting multiple electrical issues , that's the first thing to suspect. Especially if a lower quality or refurb battery is used, they do not work long term in these cars . Batteries that still test good arent "good enough" in a w220

 

To check your voltage of your battery do the following:

With the engine off and the instrument cluster set to miles or kilometers (outside of US), turn the ignition switch to the 2ND position (just before starting) Push the (R) reset button on the instrument cluster 3 times. You will get a "UB" on the instrument cluster (where the miles would normally be) followed by the voltage.

Now, while leaving that indication on the instrument cluster, start the car without doing anything else. Once the engine is running the display in the instrument cluster will switch to the charging voltage.

 

I bought my AGM battery from advanceauto. It is an autocraft platinum AGM battery with 900 CCA. Comes with a a 7 year warranty with the first three years completely replaced with no prorating. The price is around $195 but if you use promo code TRT30 you will get like 30% off.

 

those batteries are crazy expensive. Unfortunately that 30% code doesn't apply to batteries and a list of other items in the small print. That would have made it an easier swallow. about 154 vs 220. I'll call MB tmrw and see what they price it at unless there's a better deal somewhere else…

I only wish this would solve the blinker problem on my left SAM

 

I could NOT get that to work. I tried a gang of times. 1st, 2nd and ON position. The only thing i was able to accomplish was resetting the mileage haha. It jus stays on the vehicle miles indicator and nothing happens.

Thanks for the info though, it would've beat using a multimeter for random checks

 

That would be a much better price than i got so far. How long have you had yours?

 

Well I had the first one for about 18 months and all of a sudden things started to go haywire just like yours, lights blinking for no reason, warning lights coming on, etc. Advanceauto check the battery found out there was a dead cell and dropped a new one in. I have been running with the new one now for a couple of years or more with no problems.

I'm surprised that procedure didn't work for your car. It works on mine every time unless the earlier models are different.

 

I have the 2000 so it may be something with being a first year car.

Thanks for the battery review. I think I'm going to pick it up at advance tmrw unless the dealer price is competitive . The 30% helps a lot and pep boys isn't honoring their discount. Advance advertises a 3 year no prorate replacement policy just like you said and then a prorate 4 years after that, and you seem like you making out pretty good with yours.

 

One thing to remember, with the AGM battery the little tube that vents to the outside is no longer necessary and you will not see it. Good luck.

 

Well... I bought a brand new battery today and installed it. Forgot about it till just now. So I jumped out of bed in my bare feet and went outside to turn the ignition over a few times.

Unfortunately the symptoms remain the same

Any ideas on what next anybody? Maybe the voltage regulator?

 

yes, please, any info on voltage regulators is appreciated. My 2002 S600 needs one and Mercedes doesn't sell just the regulator anymore.

 

Do you KNOW its your voltage regulator? If so, what are your symptoms? Idk about through merc but they are available both 3rd party and OEM. Does the 600 use a bosch alternator?

Stay subscribed and maybe there will be some answers from other members on this thread

 

Mike I'm not sure if the S600 regulator can be bought separately. All Mercedes show is that the entire alternator has to be purchased for a very ridiculous amount of money. If you look at the attached diagram it looks to me that part#2 would be the voltage regulator. Do you have yours out of the car? If so, I would check and see if that part has a separate part number.

 

the alternator on this engine is a unique water cooled design, found ONLY on the V12.
Just to take it off will cause you nightmares.

make sure it is the alternator, and then look for a used one.

 

Another classic example of over engineering by MB.

 

Thanks for the quick replies guys. sorry, i took longer to get back.


2002 S600 V12 has a water-cooled alternator.
MBZ wants to sell you both the alternator and housing unit together, only!
Retails for about $1,200.00+
Wholesales for about $900.00+

However.... gentlemen, i was able to remove just the alternator in the following manner.
1. disconnect battery.
2. remove passenger side intake tube.
2.5 disconnect automatic transmission line to cooler (into radiator).
3. Remove radiator fan.
4. drain radiator from pet-****.
5. remove overflow tank.
6. remove windshield washer tank.
7. disconnect wire harness from passenger coil-pack, secondary air pump, and ground wire attached just underneath coil-pack.
8. remove secondary air pump and bracket.
9. remove idler pulley. (the one that's in the way)

This should give you enough space to harvest the alternator/generator. (WIS will search under generator but shows results for alternator???)

there are several star pattern bolts around the perimeter of the alternator. remove those. however, there are i think 2 that don't need to be removed. if you remove the lower plastic panels (underneath the motor) you can see which ones go all the way through and which ones only go to that first ring.

remove those, then bang on the alternator to get it separate from the housing unit. don't damage the housing. The alternator, f-it! it's only value is a core now. there is a large o-ring style seal around the perimeter of the alternator. once you separate that, be prepared to see lots of coolant and scale deposits. hose them out. Hose out your overflow tank too while you're at it... it's filthy.

Voltage regulator: well, b/c of the "sealing concept" (WIS, not my words) this alternator's voltage regulator is glued/sealed into the alternator itself. it's not on the outside..... if someone want's to take a crack at it, i'm sure the actual alternator is fine, however,... read on...

BUY a refurbished unit from www.rockauto.com ~$164.79 +$63 core charge. Cheapest price we found. The confusion regarding what's available online and what you see in your engine bay is that most of the online pictures just show the alternator with the smooth metal bowl of a back to it.... it's just not what's in your car (until you take just the alternator, then the pictures make sense). The Bosch web page shows a pretty picture of the alternator in the housing...

if you take your time, the alternator will just barely slide out towards where the overflow tank was. it's a bit of 'automotive-yoga', but you certainly don't have to lift the freaking engine like MBZ WIS says. However, I haven't had to remove the alternator housing.

F You SEE Kay! it's that easy! while my brother and i had this revelation looking at the diagram at the dealership, they told us that a guy needed a new alternator for a 2007 Maybach. Quoted... $12,000.00 for that 20 hour job. lol didn't know you could pull a honda out of mercedes. lol

for clarity sake, yes, i knew it was specifically the voltage regulator because a multi-tester hooked up to the battery during idle showed voltages of over 15.3. So, hopefully, the random misfire and dimming instrument cluster will go away.

Maybe the forum guys could put this in a separate post? it's not really SAM related.

Thanks to everyone who has shared their knowledge on this and the other forum. I've learned exactly what I needed to fix EVERY problem this car has had. Glad I could contribute something in return.
I will check in and let you know how the install goes. (Fingers crossed)

 

Good luck with your install Mike.

 

Thanks.

I'll let you guys know how this weekend goes.

here's a like to the other post: http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w220...l#post12253481